Hyderabad: Amid heightened India-Pakistan tensions, the Hyderabad police on Saturday, May 10, issued a phishing alert against fake news.
Cyber Crime unit warned public of fake videos, malicious APKs, and phishing attacks exploitingthe India-Pakistan conflict buzz.
In the backdrop of the ongoing Indo-Pakistan conflict and heightened national security, the Cyber Crime Wing of Hyderabad Police has issued a high alert, cautioning the public against malicious phishing links, APK files, and fake videos circulating across WhatsApp, emails, and social media platforms.
According to a press release issued by the Hyderabad City Police, state-sponsored cyber attackers—including advanced persistent threat groups are actively exploiting public interest around the conflict to carry out targeted cyber intrusions, particularly against government personnel, military networks, and the general public.
Video: Pakistan should be disarmed of its nukes, says Owaisi
The cybercriminals are using deceptive content masked as war updates, including .apk, .exe, and .pdf files with titles like “Dance of the Hillary”, “Army Job Application Form”, and “tasksche.exe”. These files, once opened or installed, deploy spyware, ransomware, and malware, compromising devices and potentially accessing personal data, bank accounts, or social media handles.
Key vectors to be identified
To assess whether a given link is fake, the cybercrime unit issued a list of keywords, including
- Phishing links posing as news updates or government alerts.
- Malware-laced APKS are advertised as “live war update apps”.
- Infected images and videos are forwarded through messaging apps.
The public has been advised to refrain from opening or forwarding any suspicious content, even if received from known contacts, and to install apps only from official app stores.
The following are the tips to be safe from phishing on social media
- Disable auto-download of media
- Avoid unknown files or links, even if forwarded by trusted contacts.
- Enable two-step verification in WhatsApp
- Exit and report groups sharing inflammatory or suspicious content
Email users must avoid unknown emails and links, especially related to the Indo-Pak conflict; verify email senders and attachments; Use updated antivirus and enable 2FA.
Citizens are urged to follow updates only via verified news outlets and official government handles, avoid spreading unverified or provocative content, and report any suspicious activity immediately.
